Wow, today I am so totally happy that the wonderful Danielle Thorne is joining us on the 2011 Blog-String Fest – she is a fantastic, experienced editor, talented writer, great friend and devoted, caring mom…a really down-to-earth, lively, imaginative individual with a keen outlook on the world – sometimes from the perspective of the water, not the land. Welcome!

Bad at Math
by
Danielle Thorne

1+1 is 3?

It’s true. I am terrible at math. When it’s my turn to work the concession stand during our high school football games, they make me handle the food. My nine-year-old has to help me with Monopoly.
At yard sales, I trust I’m being treated with honor. Who am I to argue? I get arithmetic brain freezes.

I used to shudder at the thought of being asked make change, now with age I’ve come to think of my handicap as endearing. There’s something about everyone that’s less than perfect. Instead of sad, we should see our flaws as charming.

Characters run the gamut from innocent and fun to downright evil. In literature, even the bad guy can make us cheer — when nobody’s looking. Last year I saw a film that clearly illustrates this: “Despicable Me.” If you haven’t seen the cartoon, I won’t ruin for it you, but our main hero is not a nice guy, until the end anyway. His mean antics are kind of funny. He’s sick, but not beyond redemption. Another beloved cult villain is Hannibal Lector. Don’t ask me why on that one. The list goes on. Who are some of your favorite flawed characters? Come on, tell the truth. Do they do or say things you’d secretly like to?

But back to reality. Beyond cheering for the not so pure at heart on occasion, we all need to cut ourselves some slack. Not everyone can cook. Not everyone can parallel park. Some of make better decisions in the wardrobe department, others should not be allowed into Home Depot. It’s just life. A few flaws keep us humble and force us to recognize our talents and improve ourselves. When characters do the same, we don’t quite feel so alone. So embrace yourself and your bad math, too.

Sometimes I review a book written by a friend, acquaintance, or fellow author on my blog, but I never feel comfortable assigning numbers, stars, or whatever. Although anyone can review books, I’ll leave the rating system to the professionals, and possibly to those who review books independently on a regular basis. I have no quarrel with that.

I do have a system or two, though, but I only voice the ratings to myself. One system is by descriptive words, and since they may be a little over-the-top for this lovely blog, I’ll describe my Candy Bar System instead.

Before I offend anyone by using her favorite candy bar as a One, just let me remind you that we don’t all like the same books. Remember—one man’s trash is another man’s treasure; or one reader’s two-thumbs down is another reader’s two thumbs up. Okay?

Celia’s Book Rating System: (the number denotes the review if one were using numbers, a 5 being the top rating)

(5) ALMOND JOY—My favorite! Deep, dark, rich, a sweet intriguing middle, and two nuts to anticipate. You don’t get the same thing in every bite. Perfect, one to return to again and again.

(4) PAYDAY—Perfect blend of sweet and salty, a chewy center that lasts, and crunchy peanuts. Something to sink your teeth into and savor.

(3) HERSHEY’S ALMOND JOY—A little too much of a good thing, lacks imagination, but still yummy.

Today I am so delighted to welcome Casey Herringshaw here to the 2011 Blog-String Fest. Multi-talented Casey is a writer, ACFW member, personal and group blogger and artist – designing jewelry. Thank you for visiting, Casey, and welcome!

“When You Know You’ve Got a Good Thing”
by
Casey Herringshaw

Ever realized that moment when you’ve got a good thing? That moment in the book when wow the story just got really good? That realization that something has just changed and you are so in for a better ride?

And sometimes we can realize we have a good thing a tad too late.
Like what happened to me recently.

In life we take so many things for granted. A job. A house. Money. Indoor plumbing.

Yep.

No matter how many times this happens to me, I always, always, always realized too late how much I appreciate indoor plumbing.

Our county flooded this year. Like we thought the town was going to go under flooded. Like I had to “swim” to my little private bunkhouse behind our main house type flooding.

It turned our back field into a lake (complete with waterfowl). It turned our chicken’s home into a slick of muddy quicksand and it turned our plumbing/drainfield into about as useful as a wet rag against well…a flood.

Let me say right now: there is nothing more humbling than a porta potty in your front driveway. Now thankfully we live 100 yards off the road, but STILL. Those little blue houses aren’t exactly camouflaged.

In fact, it still sits in our driveway today, July 13th (the date I am writing this guest post). And I realize through the last two months of wet, mud, and endless rain (in a desert that barely sees 7” a year) that we don’t always get the ideal.

We don’t always get pleasant.

And we don’t always get perfect.

Man has that been true! But you know what always stayed constant through this entire mess?? God. God didn’t smite the water from the face of our property, BUT He took care of us. We could still do our laundry, still take showers, still do our dishes.

And you know what He taught me? CONTINUES to teach me each time we have to go through a “plumbings-not-working” phase? That He ALWAYS takes care of us and He ALWAYS knows when I need to learn to not take so many “normal” things for granted.

Let me just say this in closing: the next time you turn on the water and it works, thank God. And don’t ever, ever, ever take for granted the little things in life. Because if we didn’t have these little treasures in life we don’t always appreciate, the next thing we know, we might have to do without them.

And trust me on this: that isn’t pleasant. 😉

Casey Herringshaw is a homeschool graduate and has been writing since high school. She lives in rural Eastern Oregon in a town more densely populated with cows than people. Taking the words and stories God has placed on her heart and putting them on paper is one of her highest passions in life. Casey is a member of ACFW. You can connect with her through her personal blog, Writing for Christ and her writing related group blog, The Writer’s Alley

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I have something to share with my commenter’s today! I make jewelry and have a bracelet I would love to give away. Please share your thoughts and comments and I’ll send it to one U.S. address. 

Today I am delighted to welome author B.J. Robinson to the Summer Blog-String Fest. B.J. has treated us to an essay, “Oil of My Heart,” as well as info on her new Desert Breeze Publishing novel, “Last resort,” available this Friday July 15th 2011. Welcome!

Oil of my Heart

by B. J. Robinson

A broad-shouldered man with sandy blond hair leans across the motor in my van. “This thing needs an oil change and a new filter. You need to check it more often. And use good oil.”
The mechanic straightens. At nearly 6 feet, he giraffes my 5’2” frame. “You know, you can take your van and have it serviced at one of the local shops.” Serious blue eyes stare hard into mine. “Take the time to do it. Proper maintenance is less expensive than having to buy a new vehicle.”
“Yes, sir,” I said. “Your mother hears you.” I give him a maternal smile. “Just because you’re the manager of your own station, you think you know it all, don’t you?”
“I knew more about cars when I was 12 than you ever will.”
“You should with as many as you tore apart in your younger days.”
“What do you mean my younger days? I’m still young.” He bats his eyes and tries to look innocent.
“Oh, excuse me. You’re a young man now,” I playfully tap his chest.
Just yesterday, this hefty man in a navy blue shirt and pants etched with grease smiled at me from the baby bed. His little fingers winding themselves around mine, I called him Momma’s little man or my little football player because of those broad shoulders.
Too quickly, he turned into a teenager, tearing apart broken lawnmowers or bicycles and using the parts to make workable ones. He loved tinkering. I should have known he’d grow up to become an automotive mechanic.
“I’ve never known anything about cars other than how to drive them, so I’m glad to have a mechanic in the family. Till this day, I still don’t even know how to change a tire.”
“You really should learn, Mom.”
“I’m such a small woman, and the tire is so big I don’t think I could handle it.”
“Maybe you need a smaller vehicle, one you can handle.”
“I’ve got you.” I give him a knowing smile and a slap on the arm. “This is what I can afford. I just have to make do.”
“Well, take care of the vehicle, Mom, and it will take care of you.”
Every Sunday morning my son and his wife picked me up for church. Squeezing in behind the front seat of his little Chevy S-10, I asked, “Son, don’t you think it’s time you got a family vehicle? After all, you’re a married man.”
“This is what I can afford, and I’ll just have to make do.”
As I listened to my own words flung at me, I thought of all those years I made do, and I realized God blessed me with the gift of a strong, dependable son. We all know mechanics repair vehicles, but mine repairs so much more.
Now as I look at Rod, though it hasn’t always been easy, especially when he was younger, I know for certain no job is worth giving up a child. My precious gift from heaven is my joy on earth. The words of my co-worker thirty years ago ring in my ear, and I’m glad I listened to my heart.
My waitress friend hurled ultimatums. “You just got the head waitress promotion. You don’t need another child. Three’s enough. The timing’s all wrong. Get an abortion.” She stalked off, waving her arms in the air.
“This job is not worth killing a child.” I stuck my time card in the slot and punched out for the last time.
I strolled out into the crisp fall air and Louisiana sunshine feeling at peace with myself. I looked at the heavenly blue sky, reassured I was doing the right thing.
These memories wrap around me like a blanket of comfort I snuggle into, as I realize how perfect God’s timing truly is and how God has always had His hand on my life.
I gave up a job as a waitress to become a mother again, answering God’s calling. When His timing was right, He called me to a career in teaching. I have a Bible verse that expresses the way I feel about my children, how I rejoice I gave birth to them, and how they are part of God’s plan:
. . . he who has a wise son delights in him.
May your father and mother be glad;
may she who gave you birth rejoice!
Proverbs 23:24-25 NIV

God sent me a mechanic who oils his mom’s heart with his love. Rod is the refreshing change and new filter who adds to my life as he lubricates it with love. The hero of the greatest love story is Jesus, and the greatest romance of all is motherhood.

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
before you were born I set you apart;
NIV: Jeremiah 1:5

Author Information and Last Resort Debut

B. J. Robinson is an educator and novelist. She makes her home in Florida with her husband, two dogs, and a cat named Frankie. Barbara says, “There is no one in life as capable of encouraging and motivating one’s soul as the blessed feel of the Holy Spirit, like a hand on my shoulder reassuring me. I have never felt closer to God than when I feel the touch of the Holy Spirit in times of need. That slight touch lets me know that I do not walk through this world alone. I have a heavenly Father who meets my every need. That heavenly touch makes all the difference in my life. I thank Him most of all for the blessed gifts of my children.”

Visit B, J. Robinson at http://barbarajrobinson.blogspot.com for book reviews and news of her writing and new releases. Her debut Christian romantic suspense novel Last Resort releases from Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc. July 15. http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/StoreFront.bok and will be available at Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com as an eBook. It will also be available in all other eBook formats. She recently signed contracts for two others: Southern Superstitions, releases January 11, 2012, and Whispering Cypress, releases August 11, 2012.

LAST RESORT is set in Bridal Wreath, Florida, a fictional town, Key West, the Panhandle, and Plant City, Florida. Faith Grace Roussell vows to hide her heart so deeply in Christ that to find her, a man will have to find Him first, but will the true hidden treasures in God’s Word be enough when she collides with Matt Allen? Faith is stalked and forced to search her conflicted heart. In a battle of love, loss, and raging jealousy, she strives to build a new life with peace and contentment, but Matt Allen has eyes like magnets she could get as lost in as unknown woods. Will he prove to be a helpmate or just another strawberry cull? She’s pursued by an ex-fiancé, shattered dreams, an awesome God, and a cowboy farmer. There’s only one place she can turn . . . .There’s only one last resort.

Faith left the city to return to the country home where she grew up, but someone wants her to pack bags, not berries. A series of incidents take place to try to force her to leave. When she doesn’t budge, arson, attempted murder, and murder kept the reader turning pages.

What early Readers Had to Say…
“B. J. Robinson’s Last Resort is an inspirational romantic suspense story that keeps you hanging on the edge of your seat — both to see if the villain is overcome and to see if Matt and Faith end up together. You don’t want to miss this one with its twists; it’s a great read!”
Deb Haggerty, Author and Speaker

Long Ridge Student and Book Reviewer Valerie Strawmier says:
What a great story! I loved how you drew your readers in so quickly and then constantly threw in twists and turns for them to deal with. Many women deal with losing what they thought was the love of their life to a failed relationship—it’s their attitude that determines how they proceed. By letting God lead her through the fiery trials that came her way, and trusting Him in the most difficult of times, Faith found her true destiny in life and love and it was everything she had ever dreamed. This is a fabulous story of love, real life and how a positive attitude in Christ can lead you through even the most difficult times! I highly recommend it and know you will leave the book feeling inspired and encouraged in your walk in the Lord! Last Resort is available in all eBook formats and may be purchased directly through the publisher at http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-184/B-J-Robinson-Last/Detail.bok
Read a free excerpt from the publisher here: http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-184/B-J-Robinson-Last/Detail.bok

I want to thank Regina for allowing me to visit today, and share a blurb and excerpt from my new release A Familiar Evil. I also want to wish her lots of luck with her Summer Blog-String Fest.

“You’re out there watching me. I can feel you. What do you want? Why did you come back here?”

Jordan Russell’s life is shattered when the monster from her childhood resurfaces, opening up scars she thought were healed. With the hope of finally finding closure Jordan leaves her cheating husband, and her career in the FBI, and returns to where her nightmare began. But what awaits her in Thorny Creek will push her to the very edge of sanity and bring her face to face with her abductor.

Excerpt –

“Excuse me. I’m looking for Chief Russell.”

Jordan’s stomach did a nosedive at the familiar voice of her soon-to-be-ex-husband.

“You found her,” Frank answered.

Jordan looked up just as Sam smiled. “Indeed I have.” He started toward her desk.

Colleen barged through the opened door. “Chief, there’s an Agent Russell here to see…oh, I guess you found her.”

“Agent Russell,” Frank repeated. He turned back to Jordan, “Isn’t Russell your married name?” He then shifted his gaze back to Sam, “That must mean you’re her husband.”

“Not for much longer.” Jordan hurried around her desk and ushered Frank out the door. “You’ll be hearing from me.” She closed the door and looked at Sam. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m here at your request.”

“I specifically requested someone from the Charlotte field office.” Anyone but him.

He looked at her with the gorgeous smile that used to make her go weak in the knees. “And they forwarded that request to Agent Haines, who assigned me.”

“We’ll see about that.” Jordan marched back to her desk, and was four digits into Haines’ cell phone number when Sam pressed his finger down on the button and disconnected the call. Eighteen and a half months of built-up rage boiled to the surface. She doubled her right fist and spun around with lighting fury.

Sam, just as quick, stopped the fist within inches of his jaw. With his free hand, he took the phone from her left hand and placed it back in its cradle. Jordan felt his hot breath on her face as he peered down at her, and was keenly aware of the heat generating from his body through the hand which tightened around her wrist.

“Let me help you, Jordan…please.”

She swallowed hard, summoned all her courage, and met his smoldering gaze. “I need a profiler who can tell me exactly what I’m up against here.”

“Don’t tell me you’ve lost your touch.”

She ignored his smirk. “I need a fresh pair of eyes who can look at this guy objectively.”

“Who hasn’t allowed themselves to get too personal?”

“I just need someone other than you,” she spat.

“Too bad, you’re stuck with me. Now, what do you say I release your hand and you don’t take my head off? Or we can continue to provide the day’s entertainment for your co-workers.”

Jordan shifted her gaze to the glass separating her office from the command center. A half dozen familiar faces scattered like rats. She twisted free from his grip, grabbed her cap from her desk and shoved it down over her head. “Fine!” She was already halfway out the door before she realized he wasn’t with her. She turned back and found him smiling at her. “Are you coming or not?”

REGINA: Hello Alice, Edmund and Grayson and welcome to my blog! Alice and Edmund, if I may, I have a question for you two first. Victorian Scoundrel, Book One, relates your time-travel experience. Is this your first time-travel and how did it happen?

ALICE: It was my first time! I was very disoriented when I landed in that London Park.

EDMUND: But you got your time-traveling legs pretty quickly.

ALICE: You were an old pro, Ed. How many times did you go back. 2? 23? If our grandmother knew—

EDMUND: She doesn’t need to know the exact amount, Cousin.

REGINA: Alice, what is the biggest difference you noticed between women in 2011 and women in 1851?

ALICE: By Victoria, the clothes! How could women were such garments back then? Petticoats. Crinolines. Capes. Dresses down to my ankles! Hideous, I tell you!

REGINA: Edmund, what surprised you the most about what you found you have in common with Prince Albert, your great-grandfather?

EDMUND: He’s a man of vision. I love his forward thinking ideas. Without them and the vision he had with the Great Exhibition, he wouldn’t have inspired a generation of invention.

REGINA: Alice, the Prime Minister found you a bit odd. Did you find that about him, too? How much of that would be attributed to personality and how much to the times?

ALICE: Actually, I found the Sir John bossy, arrogant, and irritating. I would say it was a 50/50 split. Sir John wouldn’t crack a smile even if you paid him.

REGINA: Grayson, you have been very patient, thank you! What is it about Alice that most attracts you, and most infuriates you?

GRAYSON: Thank you My Lady. Alice is a rare gem, an exotic beauty. What I love the most about her is her sharp wit and clever mind, what’s most infuriating is that Alice has a secret and I can’t get it out of her.

REGINA: The Great Exhibit has so many interesting inventions for the future, Grayson. Tell me what inventions excite you the most, what you hope develops in the future that you have not seen and what you hope never gets past the drawing board.

GRAYSON: The inventions which excite me the most are the ones that will help to clean up our soot-infested air. 1851 London is covered in soot from all our coal burning. I actually like the idea of the dirigible. I think that has a lot of potential to move our society forward. What I hoped would never get off the drawing board did – Lord Ridgecroft’s transmogrifier. That contraption makes everyone nervous.

REGINA: Who among you, or your acquaintances, keeps a diary? Grayson, would you be interested in a computer? How do you think technology would change your life?

ALICE: Me, keep a diary, heavens, no! My writing is atrocious.

EDMUND: I don’t have time to keep a diary.

GRAYSON: Well, I do keep a day journal where I write down my thoughts and observations made during the day. I think I could get used to a little technology.

REGINA: Alice, Edmund, you are from 2011. What has been the most difficult adjustment for you to live in 1851?

ALICE: Oh, the clothes. By far the clothes. They itch. And there’s too many of them. And there’s too many layers. What I wouldn’t do for a Stella McCartney dress in 1851!

EDMUND: Sharing a room at the hotel with Alice. She’s high-maintenance. I can’t believe she takes at least 30 minutes at the end of the day in the water closet!

REGINA: You each have a travel scrapbook. What three items would you each put in your scrapbook from 1851 to show your friends and family back in 2011?

ALICE: I think my father would be impressed with a picture of me beside Queen Victoria, Me in front of the Crystal Palace, and a signed copy of Pride and Prejudice I found in Grayson’s Library.

EDMUND: I would want a picture of my grandfather, Prince Albert, a ticket to the Great Exhibition, and a handkerchief from Keira Russell.

GRAYSON: I would like the locket with my mother’s picture, my brother’s map of India, and the first whuzzie Alice sent me.

REGINA: Edmund, are you the Scoundrel? What did you do??

EDMUND: Me, a scoundrel? I’m an honorable man. I never misled Keira Russell as to the affections of my heart.

REGINA: The Victorians are fabulously popular, even in 2011. You’ve been there, seen them, met them. Tell us why (or why not) they deserve this frenzied following.

ALICE: It was a time of a lot of change, that’s what makes them so popular.

EDMUND: They were innovative and clever. They took up modern ideas and reforms winning the hearts of the people.

GRAYSON: Victoria was our last hope for the monarchy. We all wanted her to do well, and she did.

REGINA: Alice, please don’t keep us in the dark. Share a juicy little morsel about Book Two with us, please.

ALICE: Oh dear! I have to wear those uncomfortable Victorian clothes again!

GRAYSON: My dear Lady Regina, it has been a pleasure to speak with you today. Thank you for having us.

BLURB: It’s 2011 and compressed natural gas has taken over from the coal producing steam machines of the Victorian Age. Alice Windsor, Princess of York, follows her mischief-making cousin, Prince Edmund of Wales back to the past and 1851 where Prince Albert is hosting Britain’s Great Exhibition.

Alice soon discovers Edmund has struck up a friendship with their great-grandfather, Prince Albert, and his mischief making entails leaving a dinosaur-sized footprint in history. She also meets Grayson Kentfield, Earl Swinton, and the Prime Minister, Sir John Russell. The Prime Minster finds her odd, to say the least.

It’s only when Alice falls for the handsome Earl Swinton does she realize the dangers of time travel. How can she give her heart to a man from the past while striving to stop Edmund from changing time with his forward thinking ideas?

EXCERPT:
Interestingly, Alice walked up to a mirror hanging over a narrow table near the door and fingered the coin necklace, staring hard at it. Grayson watched her for a second. What meaning did it have to her? Intrigued, he walked up next to her and looked into the mirror.

“So, Earl Swinton, what is the prime minister’s name?” she asked.

“Sir John Russell.”
She nodded.

He clasped his hands behind his back and smiled at her, his reflection captured in the mirror. He wanted to know more about her. “And aren’t you the least bit curious about my name?”

“Of course.”

“It’s Grayson. Grayson Kentfield.”
“How noble.”

“And yours is charming.”
“Really? Alice? It’s so plain.”

“Not at all. It implies mischief.”

She turned to look directly at him. “Mischief? That’s not me. I’m very level-headed.”

“I would also add bold, adventurous, daring–”

She crossed her arms, a small smile hinting at her lips. “Me? I don’t think so.”

“Oh, yes, I do believe those words describe you to a ‘tee.’ Princess Alice shares the same precocious traits.”

Her expression grew even. “I see.”

Not wanting her to pull away, he stepped closer, locking eyes with hers. “Tell me, why did you say you were Alice of York?”

Her cheeks flushed and she diverted her eyes. “I — ah, it was a mistake.”

“Mistake? You appear to be a very confident young woman.”

She nibbled at her lower lip, betraying a slight hesitation. “My last name really is Windsor.”

“Is it?”
“I am telling the truth.”
“I believe you.”

Her eyes explored his, softening. He hoped she could see his admiration and his curiosity for her in his eyes. Yes, he’d had his fill of beautiful women, but Alice, she was a challenge, with her odd dress, unspoken familiarity with the palace and unapologetic independence. He could actually envision her telling him “No” should he try to kiss her. Well, why not? They just met! She appeared clever, genuine, and she wasn’t a good liar. Liar? No, that wasn’t a word he’d use to describe her, but she was hiding something. And it didn’t matter. He liked the warm arousal setting in his body when she was near.

She backed away from him. Had he unsettled her? He hoped not. He wanted to learn more about Alice Windsor.

She took a slow walk around the room, lightly running her fingers over the furniture. “Everything appears so new.”

“Are you familiar with this room?” he asked, allowing her to explore.

She looked away from him. “No.”

Now that he didn’t believe. She strolled around the room casually, as though none of the exquisite furniture, impressive paintings, and the picturesque views from the window made any impressions on her. She didn’t carry herself with the air of a tourist from the lower class. No, she presented herself with a quiet, royal bearing.

“Where do you come from, Alice?” he asked.

“I’m on break from my studies at Cambridge. My father’s residence is at Royal Lodge.”

“Royal Lodge? Aren’t members of the royal household there?”

Alice raised a hand to her mouth and frowned. “Ah, I mean near Royal Lodge.”